SBS Friday-Saturday drama ‘Return to the Palace’ has captured the attention of viewers since its first broadcast.

In the first episode of SBS Friday-Saturday drama ‘Gwigung’ (written by Yoon Soo-jung/directed by Yoon Sung-sik), which first aired on the 18th, the dramatic story of the evil spirit Imoogi Kang Cheol(special appearance by Kim Young-kwang), known in the human world as a vicious evil spirit, taking over the body of the human Yoon Gap(played by Yook Sung-jae), as well as his tenacious relationship with Yeo-ri(played by Kim Ji-yeon), who was born with the fate of a shaman, was revealed, raising interest.

‘Gwigung’ caused a frightening storm from the start, recording the highest viewership rating of 10.7%.In addition, with 9.2% in the metropolitan area and 9.2% nationwide, it surpassed ‘My Perfect Secretary’ and ‘Treasure Island’ to record the highest viewership rating for the first episode of SBS dramas in 2025, and swept the titles of 1st place in viewership ratings in the same time slot and 1st place among mini-series dramas aired in a week.In addition, the 2049 viewership rating, a key indicator for measuring channel competitiveness and topicality, also recorded 2.5% in the metropolitan area, taking a truly brisk first step.(based on Nielsen Korea)

That day’s broadcast began with the tale of Kang Cheol, the Imoogi who failed to become a dragon and became an evil spirit after completing a thousand years of training.While everyone in the human world trembles at Kang Cheol, the famous god of Yongdamgol, Neupdeok(played by Gil Hae-yeon), heightens the tension by telling her young granddaughter Yeo-ri(played by Song Ji-woo)that Kang Cheol is after a shaman(another word for a shaman)with great courage and clarity.As Neupdeok feared, Kang Cheol follows Yeo-ri in order to use her divine powers to become a dragon, and Neupdeok gives Yeo-ri the ‘Gyeonggwiseok’, a stone that wards off ghosts, to block Kang Cheol’s approach.However, Neupdeok unexpectedly loses his life, and Yeo-ri, who has lost her only family, tells Kang Cheol, “I will not serve an evil spirit like you,” forming an ill-fated relationship.

As time passed, strange things began to happen in the palace.The son of King Lee Jeong(played by Kim Ji-hoon), Won-ja(played by Park Jae-joon), was suffering from madness of unknown cause.This was a shocking secret that could not be revealed to the outside world, and as Won-ja’s condition worsened day by day, the king’s loyal censor, Yoon Gap(played by Yook Sung-jae), advised him to seek the help of shamanism, but the king, who valued the rules of the palace, ignored Yoon Gap’s advice, saying that he could not perform a ritual in the palace.

At the same time, Yeo-ri, who had become an adult, rejected the fate of a shaman and lived as an artisan of glasses.However, Yeo-ri still saw ghosts that others could not see.After witnessing a one-legged ear living in the house of former Prime Minister Choi Won-woo(played by Ahn Nae-sang), who had returned to the countryside, Yeo-ri realized that his daughter Choi In-sun(played by Shin Seul-gi)was also suffering from an unknown illness because of the one-legged ear and decided to help In-sun.Yeo-ri used her divine powers to engage in a fierce battle with the one-legged ear that had possessed In-sun’s body and succeeded in exorcising the ghost.And Yeo-ri shuddered once again at the thought that all of this was the work of Kang Cheol, who had been following her for 13 years and was eagerly coveting her position.

At that time, Yoon Gap came down to his hometown of Yongdamgol under the king’s secret order to recruit Choi Won-woo.However, Yoon Gap had another goal.He wanted to cure the prince’s madness by taking Yeo-ri, who was talented at exorcising ghosts, to the palace, despite the king’s refusal to perform the ritual.Yoon Gap suggested to Yeo-ri that they go to the palace under the pretext of making the king’s body beautiful, and after seeing the hwagyeong(a shaman seeing the contents of a fortune-telling given by a god as a screen or picture)of herself and Yoon Gap starting a family, Kang Cheol, who was reluctant to go to the palace, followed Yoon Gap as if it were a joke.

However, a shocking incident happened to Yoon Gap and Yeo-ri on their way to the palace.While Yoon Gap was left alone for a moment on a secluded mountain path, he was attacked by his political opponent Kwak Sang-chung(played by Yoon Seung)and lost his life.Kang Cheol-yi, who witnessed the scene while chasing Yeo-ri, had another plan.Kang Cheol-yi tried to take the Gyeonggwi-seok away from Yeo-ri using Yoon Gap’s dead body, and Yeo-ri was shocked and despaired when he saw Kang Cheol-yi stabbing Yoon Gap’s body and Yoon Gap’s spirit losing its place.Kang Cheol-yi, who succeeded in getting Yeo-ri after 13 years, confidently tried to return to his original form as an Imoogi, saying, “Yeo-ri, you are mine now,” but for some reason, he could not escape Yoon Gap’s body.Yeo-ri took advantage of Kang Cheol-yi’s confusion and desperately ran away to find the Gyeonggwi-seok she had lost.The drama ended with a shocking scene where Yeo-ri and Kang-cheol got into a fight and fell down a cliff together, and Yoon-gap watched helplessly.This made viewers curious about how the future of these two people, whose bodies and souls were entangled as they were, would unfold.

SBS Friday-Saturday drama ‘Gwigung’ is a fantasy romantic comedy about a shaman named Yeo-ri who rejects her fate as a shaman, and Kang Cheol-i, an imoogi trapped in the body of Yeo-ri’s first love, Yoon Gap, who face the evil Palchukgwi who holds a grudge against the royal family, and their bodies and souls become tightly intertwined.Episode 2 airs tonight(the 19th)at 9:50 PM.

Reporter Jeon Hyo-jin, Donga.com jhj@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.